Preparing your fleece for the mill
You spend all year caring for your beautiful sheep, only to end up with heaps of dirty, smelly wool after shearing. Turning that manure-filled fluff into gorgeous, top-quality skeins takes effort—from both you and your mill. The faster you skirt your fleece and separate the good stuff from the waste, the smoother (and cleaner) your spinning journey will be.
- Let’s talk skirting! If you wouldn’t want it in your yarn, take it out now—dirt, coarse bits, hay, burrs, whatever. Trust me, this gets messy, so head outside. Start by unrolling your fleece and giving it a good shake. Lay it cut side down on any table with mesh or screening so the debris falls through. Plastic screening is handy for drying your fleece, too. No fancy table? Improvise, or check out DIY ideas online.
- Flip the fleece and check both sides. Work the edges, picking off manure, tags, felted bits, or anything that makes you think, “Nope.” Be picky—hunt down every twig, burr, or veggie matter you spot. Want softer yarn? Remove coarser britch, belly wool, and long guard hairs. If you see spots with stubborn black dirt (usually manure), skirt those out. Shake small sections to clear dust and sand. Don’t worry about keeping the fleece whole—the mill will break it up anyway.
- Here’s the truth: processing won’t get everything out, especially veggie matter. Fine, crimpy fleeces hold onto gunk; longwools let go of more. Dirty fiber puts extra wear on mill equipment—and your wallet. So be ruthless: when in doubt, take it out! Skirting takes some time, but clean fleece spins better, and you’ll thank yourself later.
- Once you have your fleece skirted, I like to take some time to do some documentation. I like to tape an average lock to an index card and put all the sheep’s information on it. It will include the sheep’s name or number, the pounds of skirted fleece, and anything else we might need to know.
Great video for those who prefer to see the process rather than read about it.
HAVE FUN!
Just a few tips from my own experience.
1. I have tried every type of vacuum seal bag to try to get more fiber into each box, but I found that the mill doesn’t like keeping track of the bags and sending them back.
2. The size of the box you ship your fleece in matters more than you can imagine. I have found that the least expensive box size is 13x13x12. I can get one very large fleece or one large and one smaller fleece in each box.
3. The least expensive way to ship is to use a third-party shipping company like Pirate Ship. The packages are still shipped through UPS, but the cost is usually 25% less.
4. I will put either an intake form or an index card in each bag to identify it in case it gets away from the group.